His Shoe
by GuitarHeroLost
Summary: That beloved black and white checkered shoe that we all know and love washes up on the beach and is found by Sawyer. He and the others use it as what to bury for what they hope is the last funeral on the island. Oneshot.


I was re-watching Greatest Hits and about fifty new ideas came to me

**I was re-watching Greatest Hits and about fifty new ideas came to me. This one, however, is my favorite.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, not even the rarely seen sensitive Sawyer.**

Sawyer's POV:

We all have lots to think about. Well, I guess it's not lots of different stuff, but lots about one thing.

Looking along the beach I see that I'm not the only one just sitting and thinking. They're all just fingering the sand absentmindedly and looking depressed. I look down at my own hands and realize I'm doing the exact same thing.

I can't let no one see that I'm actually affected by Charlie's death. I made that same mistake when Ana Lucia died.

And yet I still don't move. That is, I don't move until I see a small black object being pushed along by the waves down the beach. Finally having an excuse to move, I push myself off of the sand, and everyone else just looks up, startled at the fact that something in reality is happening.

Ignoring them, I walk down to what I saw in the waves earlier. I pick up the black and white checkered shoe carefully. It looked familiar to me and it didn't take long for me to realize that it was Charlie's.

I just now see that everyone else had gathered around me. "Dude, who's is that?" Hugo asks. "Is it Charlie's?"

"Who else would have feet this small?" I snap back.

"Hey man, don't say things like that!" Hugo protests. "I mean, it was cool when he was alive-." He cuts himself off.

I know he's right, but I can't let him know that I know. It would be that ping-pong match all over again.

"Well what should we do with it?" Bernard asks. We all immediately look at Desmond.

Desmond just stares at it for a while, most likely recalling seeing Charlie without a shoe when he died. "Maybe we should give it to Claire?" Desmond suggests more like a statement then a question.

"No," Juliet says softly. "We should put him at peace. We obviously don't have a body to bury." She takes the shoe out of my hands. "But we do have this."

"She's right," Sayid agrees. "We had a funeral for everyone else. Why should this case be any different?"

No one answers this question, but Sayid, Jin, and Hugo immediately start digging around the place where everyone else was buried. But me, no, I go and snatch up my traditional ax and head out into the jungle.

"Where are you going?" Sayid asks.

"You said this case shouldn't be no different," I say. "He needs a cross for a grave too." And without another word I head out for a clearing where I find a few trees clumped together. The branches are thin and I could probably make a good grave out of them.

I take my time with it. I know I got plenty of time. But with all the practice I got on this island, I cut branches fit to size in no time.

But once they're in my hands I just stare at them. I ain't got no clue how to attach them or carve in Charlie's name. I don't even know what Charlie's last name is! With no other choice, I head back to the beach to see if anyone could help.

"You done already?" I ask.

"Well we didn't have to dig it so deep," Hugo tells me. "Because, you know, we only have a shoe…"

"We were waiting for you," Juliet interrupts his babbling.

"Here, I'll take that," Bernard takes the sticks out of my arms and swiftly ties them together with some rope or something from the crash. Juliet then takes it from him and sits down with a knife, slowly carving out his name. We all just stand and watch her without word.

Pace. His last name was Pace. I never would've known.

When she finishes she plants it in the ground right above where the hole was dug. "So I guess we should say a few words or something," Hugo says.

No one says anything for about 30 seconds, and then Juliet says something. "We never talked much. We were all too engulfed in our own thing. I knew a lot about you, from your file when you first crashed here. I wish we could've been closer friends, but then again, you probably didn't trust me at all." Juliet looks like she's done, but then she hurriedly adds, "I love your band."

Next Sayid speaks up. "Sometimes, Charlie, I found you as a bit of an annoyance. But most likely that's because you were young and curious. For that reason, I am sorry. It is unfair that you of all people were to die like this. We remember you from your last deed, which was helping us get rescued from the island. Thank you."

"I don't think anyone here knew this, but," Desmond says next. "I could see your death before it happened. I hope you understand that I couldn't keep saving you, because it was your destiny to die. And that's why I lied when I said I saw Claire and her baby getting on the helicopter. I'm sorry that I had to do that. But in a way, I feel you knew that. I think you knew that this was your fate and it had to happen. Goodbye, Charlie."

It was clear no one understood a word of what he just said which is why it took a while before Jin said something. "Thank you, Charlie. Now I can get Sun home. We will miss you." He says it slowly and shakily, but it was still said, and that's what mattered.

"We all had a reason to come to this island, I think," Bernard says next. "I don't know if yours was to die, or what. But what I think is that you crashed here to save us. You're our hero, Charlie, and we won't ever forget that."

A minute passes before anyone says anything else. We all look expectantly at Hugo, who was next in the line. He looks as if he's about to cry or throw up, or a strange combination of the two. "Uh, sorry dude. We only have your shoe to bury. I doubt Des here could've brought up your body though. And sorry that not all of our friends could be here, but, you know, they're off getting us rescued. That's what you wanted. That's why you died. And-and now I understand why you wouldn't let me come with you. You didn't want this exact same thing happening to me. You were looking out for me, Charlie, and thanks for that."

They're all waiting for me. "You had really small feet."

**Charlie needed a funeral. Review, please!**


End file.
